


darling, you're the one i want

by InAFandomInducedHazeAtTheMoment



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Aquariums, Author Does Not Know How To Tag, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Just...pure fluff, Love Confessions, my first work haha, no beta we die like calla, rated T because the word damn is used like twice so, this is just fluff, this is me projecting my love of aquariums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27374359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InAFandomInducedHazeAtTheMoment/pseuds/InAFandomInducedHazeAtTheMoment
Summary: Marella couldn’t count the hours they spent just roaming around the glass tanks, Linh marveling at the countless kinds of fish, all of different colors and sizes, and the latter noticing just how beautiful her girlfriend is, like the way her cheeks flush in the blue glow and the sparkle in her eyes and her crooked smile and Marella shouldreallyjust say it right now, in the quiet moment when it feels right. Those three special words,“I lo—”“ ‘Rella come on, let’s check out the gift shop!”Dammit-——————————-Marella is in love. She’s sure of it. Now if only she could just work up the courage and tell Linh....
Relationships: Marella Redek/Linh Song
Kudos: 5





	darling, you're the one i want

**Author's Note:**

> **a/n:** **First off, what Marella says about Linh’s name in the story is accurate and was verified through 5 different sites and I thought of also changing their last name, because Song is of Chinese origin, yet Linh is a Vietnamese translation, but I decided against it so please please please tell me if anything is offensive and needs to be fixed/removed!!** That being said, count the number of times I use their names and didn’t say where they were or what they looked like because I am a dialogue bitch through and through, and writing descriptions will never cease to baffle me. Also, yes the first 2 paragraphs of this is just me projecting, and what of it? (seriously though y’all, I miss the aquarium 😭😭) but anyway, enjoy!!
> 
> **tw: mild cursing (like twice I think?) and copious amounts of the use of italics**

Marella had always adored the aquarium. She would come visit it every year as a child, after the most magical field trip in 1st grade, where she saw thousands upon thousands of little organisms in the water, learned about all about food chains and food webs and and heard of glowing fishes living on the ocean floor. From then on, she vowed to never part from the _fishies_ or the aquarium ever again.

It turns out little Marella didn’t know how high school worked. Years of busy schedules, late-night study sessions and a ridiculous amount of candy didn’t even begin to cover the basic necessities to survive the school system. But she was back. After a stressful week of finals and AP Human Geography kicking her butt, she had finally returned to her domain and was ready to observe all of marine life for hours on end. Only this time, she has company. 

“Lily, look!! ”

“Marella didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that when there are people around?”

“Relax, droplet who cares what they think? It’s worth it to see the look on their face when we tell them that your birth name is in fact not Lily, it’s the Sino-Vietnamese translation of the word 靈, meaning spirit or soul and then I proceed to go into a long rant about the war and colonization and how it impacts everyone to kill the mood” 

“......I am only going to comment on how long it took for you to be able to research all of that.”

Marella shrugged, “Tam helped”

“Of course he did,” Linh rolled her eyes, but Marella could see the smile creeping up on her girlfriend’s face and laughed, giddy at the steady weight of Linh's hand in hers and the thrum of her heartbeat, feeling ready to take on the world.

\----

The aquarium was always lit up for special events like fundraisers, and holidays. This year was no different. Marella could get lost in the twinkling lights, reflecting off the glass and shining in every direction. She remembered the years spent marveling at the whales and fish swimming in the water. The way she thought they were imprinted into the glass. She could almost feel the caress of her mother’s hand on her cheek. The sound of her tinkling laugh. 

_“Remember ‘Rella,” Caprice would start, “The day you fall in love, the day you know in your heart that they’re the one, that you can’t live without them, you take them here and tell them. Just like your father and me”_

_Marella made a face._

_“But I don’t want to fall in love with a boy mama, I want to be a pirate!”_

_“Hya!” The seven year old struck a pose, as if sword-fighting a rogue thief on her ship. Her mom laughed._

_“You’ll see ‘Rella, soon it’ll happen…..soon.”_

The memory faded as fast as it had come.

“Well mom, looks like you were right yet again,” Marella muttered, lost in the depths of her memories, when Linh's voice brought her back to reality. 

“Now come on, I want to visit the turtles before you inevitably drag me to go touch the stingrays!”

Marella groaned good-naturedly and let herself be dragged by her ridiculously tall girlfriend

“Seriously babe, what genes did you inherit because I know for a fact that Tammy boy is nowhere near this tall!?”

Linh only pulled her along harder in response. 

\---

“ ’Rella look, there’s Sophie and Biana!! and they’re swimming together!! Aww I think they’re holding hands!”

“....I still don’t understand why you named them after our friends, especially after your exes”

Linh turned towards her, hand on her hips and an exasperated look on her face. Marella smirked, _she always knew exactly how to push her girlfriend’s buttons._

“One, need I remind you that you also dated Biana in middle school when we were like 14 and two, Sophie and I dated in 3rd grade. 3rd grade. I highly doubt it was a relationship of substantial value”

“Ooooh fancy words”

“focus ‘Rella, I’m telling you this because these two wonderful little turtles are in a relationship together and we all know that Biana and Sophie need to get it together before I lock them in a room and not let them out until they confess”

Marella chuckled at the misguided logic of her girlfriend. “Why, because it worked for us?”

Linh beamed and turned towards Marella.

“Exactly!!”

 _God_ Marella was so in love with her. Now if only she could pluck up the courage and tell her...

\---

Marella couldn’t count the hours they spent just roaming around the glass tanks, Linh marveling at the countless kinds of fish, all of different colors and sizes and the latter noticing just how beautiful her girlfriend is, like the way her cheeks flush in the blue glow and the sparkle in her eyes and her crooked smile and Marella should _really_ just say it right now, in the quiet moment when it feels right. Those three special words, “ _I lo—”_

“ ‘Rella come on, let’s check out the gift shop!” 

_Dammit_

As Linh rushes off away from her, alarm bells ring in Marella’s head, taunting her. 

_**Breaking news, Miss Marella Redek is a useless lesbian and can’t tell her girlfriend about her true feelings...ERROR 404 coward spotted ahead** _

“Jeez I get it brain, there’s no need to call me out like that,” Marella whispers to herself, realizing how stupid she must look right now, talking to herself. She’s _thankfully_ saved from more embarrassment when Linh returns to her all of a sudden, laces their arms together and pulls her in the direction of the “Aquarium Gift Store.”

“Darling we HAVE to go now because I know for a FACT that they got a shipment of the only plush whale I’m missing from here and I will not hesitate to unleash my pent up power of a raging tsunami if someone else decides to take it and rob me of my complete collection”

Marella lets out a snort at her girlfriend’s antics, pushing down the bothersome thoughts plaguing her mind and lets herself be dragged into the array of expensive keychains that never had her name on them and the shelves of overpriced toys packed close to each other. 

\---

“She’s not going to dump you, idiot just tell her you love her and hey, if she decides to go on a break completely ok we can be casual no problem muy bueno it’s not an issue because you love her and you’re going to tell her RIGHT NOW cause if you don’t then I’m going to—-“

“ ‘Rella? Marella? Are you ok? We can go if you’re not feeling ok, oh my gosh, are you sick? Is it my fault, should we have not come to the aquarium? Dammit I’m so sorry babe”

Marella startles from her position, crouched on the floor, in the corner of the room, hidden from everyone else.

She blinks and Linh's face comes into focus, eyebrows furrowed and eyes filled with worry. Marella is quick to reassure her. 

“Babe no, no I’m fine, it’s ok we can stay it’s fine,” she grabs Linh’s hands and puts them in her lap

“I was just stuck in my head for a moment, but I’m back and I’m ready to go”

Linh helps her up from the ground,eyes scanning over her to check for any signs of sickness but Marella quickly brings her over to check-out and soon they’re sitting in the parking lot, waiting for Tam to pick them up.

“I’m telling you I can totally drive if you let me, the reason I failed the test is more of the sheer bias of the driving instructor and less of the fact that I crashed into 3 stop signs”

Linh laughs knowingly, “Sure, ‘Rella. I’ll take your word for it”

“I’m serious! if it wasn’t for the fact that the old lady kept staring at my pixie cut as if it offended her personally and clearing her throat in that haughty manner of hers to throw me off, I would have for sure totally aced that—-“

“I love you”

Marella pauses, wondering if she heard that right, _hoping_ she heard that right.

“....What?”

Linh grimaces slightly before launching into an obviously rehearsed speech.. 

“I know we’ve been dating for only 5 months but we’ve been friends for way longer and it’s totally ok if you don’t want to say it back like I get it, TOTALLY ok but I’ve been holding it in for a while and then i brought you here to the aquarium to confess but i kept chickening out and now you were here smiling and laughing and waving your hands around and just being you and with the sunset casting a pinkish glow on your face, you just looked so ethereal that i just couldn’t help it!”

she finally turns to face Marella, out of breath.

“ ‘Rella?”, she asks hesitantly. “Are you ok?”

Marella snaps out of her reverie

She flings herself into Linh’s lap and kisses her soundly on the lips.

“Ok!!?? I’m better than ok!! The girl I love just admitted that she loved me back!!” 

It’s not the first time they’ve kissed, and it’s definitely not the most romantic scene, sitting in the parking lot in the front of an aquarium, people walking to and fro. But this one feels different in a way, _hopeful_. Marella can’t describe it fully, but she knows it feels amazing. 

And sitting here with her girlfriend (who loves her!) in the steps of a parking lot, waiting for Tam to pick them up, Marella realizes that aquariums are officially her favorite place. 

Right next to her girlfriend’s lap of course. 

**Author's Note:**

> endnotes: them <3 and also fun fact! marella is me because i cannot shut up about the most randomest bullshit. someone will talk about how india drinks tea like “haha how funny” and i will immediately word vomit all of the history behind britain's colonization and the impact and how many things still affect them to this day. i’m a serious drag at parties, can’t you tell? seriously, I need to be stopped.
> 
> also!! lesbian turtles DO exist but do not try to search them up because some weird stuff pops up...just know that everything in this fic is accurate because i cannot exist without making sure this is realistic 
> 
> but anyways, hope you enjoyed!! talk to me on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/loverofallthingssmart), comment and/or kudos if you liked it and have a wonderful day/night lovelies!!


End file.
